Dubuque Street businesses were celebrated last week with a block party two months after the $3.25 million construction concluded. The street was closed from March through August. Daily Iowan News Reporter Evan Watson attended the block party. Watson is a second-year student at the University of Iowa majoring in Finance and Economics. Watson discuss…

This year, Iowa is ranked No. 9 among all public and private universities for writing. Iowa is the first public institution to appear on the report. Chastity Clark is a fourth-year student studying Cinema and Creative Writing. Clark shares her experiences as an undergraduate student studying a writing discipline at a nationally renowned university.…

Friend or foe? The potential threats of AI may remain unknown to us, but the UI is making strides to eliminate uncertainties around the technology. Semester-long courses and a new certificate program aim to help educate students on AI. Justin Cosner is a lecturer and the director of graduate studies in the department of rhetoric. Last spring, Cosne…

Renovations to the Clinton Street Starbucks that were intended to be completed during the summer months were pushed back due to a delay in permits from the City of Iowa City. Curran Anderson has worked for the Starbucks Corporation for three and a half years. He has spent the last year working at the Clinton Street location. Anderson discusses the …

Iowa City Transit is continuing its fare-free bus program. In its pilot year, ridership has increased by 50%. The 13 lines from Iowa City to Coralville have offered 1.5 million rides in the last fiscal year. Then, Iowa City is at times, a parking frenzy. Iowa City’s City Council has approved lowering downtown meter fees from $3 to $2.25 an hour wit…

As the school year begins, one question remains unanswered for University of Iowa students and their families: What is the status of Mayflower Residence Hall? Above the Fold host, Madeleine Willis explores what’s next for Mayflower. Also, Senior Reporter at The Daily Iowan, Kate Perez has experience reporting on Mayflower as a former Higher Educati…

Martha Gordon is a 70 year old yoga instructor in Iowa City. Having been both a student and instructor of yoga, she’s experienced how the physical effort can have spiritual impacts, especially on people experiencing difficult phases of their life. Arts Editor Avi Lapchick joins this episode to share her experience as Gordon’s student. Above the Fol…

Clark and the rest of the Iowa women’s basketball seniors played their final game in the black and gold on Sunday. After growing the game's respect and viewership, Clark reflects on this historic season. Above the Fold is hosted and produced by Natalie Dunlap. Reporting from Kenna Roering and Matt McGowan contributed to this episode.…

On April 3, 2009, Iowa became the third state in the country to legalize same-sex marriage. LGBTQ Iowans discuss the significance of Iowa being among the first to have marriage equality for gay couples, and how current legislation in the state impacts the community. Above the Fold is hosted and produced by Natalie Dunlap. Reporting from Isabelle Ro…

The Iowa City arts community is reeling from the loss of Chris Wiersema, a fixture of the local music scene, who unexpectedly died in his sleep on March 13. His friends said Wiersema was a down to earth soul who was passionate about introducing people to weird and interesting art. Above the Fold is hosted and produced by Natalie Dunlap. Reporting f…

On this episode of Above the Fold, Iowa City Public Library community and access services coordinator shares how TikTok videos promoting certain books have influenced the library services. Above the Fold is hosted and produced by Natalie Dunlap. Reporting from Charlie Hickman and Riley Dunn contributed to this episode.…

Several churches in the Iowa City area have made a conscious effort to not only welcome LGBTQ+ people in their congregations, but to actively affirm their identity and show them allyship. Hear from a few of the church leaders who share how they make their place of worship safe for queer members on this episode. Above the Fold is hosted and produced…

Above the Fold is hosted and produced by Natalie Dunlap. Reporting from Matt McGowan contributed to this episode.By The Daily Iowan

When Caitlin Clark broke the all-time NCAA women’s basketball scoring record in front of a sold out crowd at Carver-Hawkeye arena, it wasn’t just a personal triumph, but a highly anticipated moment for Hawkeye fans and viewers of women’s basketball across the country. It was a moment the Iowa women’s basketball team had been preparing for, but beyo…

Many go searching for love on dating apps to varying degrees of success. Young adults in Iowa City share how they’ve utilized dating apps to find romantic partnerships or to start other types of relationships. Above the Fold is hosted and produced by Natalie Dunlap. Reporting from Caden Gantenbein contributed to this episode.…

In the year 2024, Facebook has now been a social platform for 20 years. Since it’s inception as a campus based app, it’s gone through many aesthetics, social and political changes. This episode looks back at how Facebook impacted campus life at the University of Iowa in the early years of the site, with reporting from Arts Reporter Riley Dunn.…

Photojournalist Jordan Barry spent five months getting to know unhoused individuals in Iowa City.By The Daily Iowan

Student writers at the University of Iowa share how creating works for fanfiction helped them develop their writing. Above the Fold is hosted and produced by Natalie Dunlap. Reporting from Charlie Hickman contributed to this episode.By The Daily Iowan

On a freezing Iowa night, former President Donald Trump demonstrated he still has a strong hold on the Republican Party, winning the endorsement of the state with 51 percent of the vote.By The Daily Iowan

Taylor Swift has taken her Era’s tour across all regions of the United States and now it’s gone international. Even though she didn’t have a stop in the state of Iowa, Swifies of Iowa City are celebrating her albums in the local music scene.By The Daily Iowan

Press Box Banter is The Daily Iowan’s weekly sports podcast. Each episode we will talk about local, national, and international sports, host a special guest, and talk predictions for upcoming games. This week’s edition features soccer player Josie Durr, who comes on to talk about her seven years as a hawkeye athlete and the NCAA tournament. This ep…

This hunting season is seeing the highest population of pheasants in Iowa since 2015, which is attracting hunters from across the country to come to the state. Milder winters in recent years have allowed the pheasant population to fight off exposure to cold and access food underneath ice more easily, increasing their numbers this year. Above the Fo…

The farther a woman travels to receive maternity care, the higher the risk of maternal morbidity and poor outcomes for infants. In Iowa, 14 percent of women live more than 30 minutes from a birthing hospital compared to the U.S. average of 9.7 percent.By The Daily Iowan

The Iowa baseball team has one very special, resilient young member: 9 year old Liam Doxsee. He is a huge Hawkeye fan from Coal Valley Illinois, and brings a positive attitude to the diamond and elsewhere, while managing severe combined immunodeficiency.By The Daily Iowan

When Saturday football games are over and fans pour out of Kinnick stadium, local high school students are the ones tasked with cleaning up the aftermath. Iowa City West High, City High and North Liberty High have partnerships with the University of Iowa to fund their athletic and music programs.By The Daily Iowan

The Iowa women’s basketball team made history with the Cross Over at Kinnick exhibition event breaking women’s basketball attendance records. 55,646 people attended the Sunday game against DePaul, more than any previous Big 10 or NCAA women’s basketball game. Above the Fold is hosted and produced by Natalie Dunlap.…

The highly anticipated Crossover at Kinnick exhibition event this Sunday is set to be the most attended women’s basketball game of all time. Nearly 50,000 tickets have been purchased for the game between the Iowa women’s basketball team and the DePaul Blue Demons. Fourth-year point guard Caitlin Clark has brought national attention to the Iowa Wome…

Herky the Hawk has been the University of Iowa mascot for 75 years. The peppy bird has become synonymous with Iowa. He’s on the sidelines at athletics games, but Herky also visits the children’s hospital, dances at weddings, and even visits funerals of Hawkeyes who have passed. Hear from friends of Herky who have been present for big moments in the…

On October 1, President Joe Biden’s pause on student loans debt will come to an end, stoking anxiety for borrowers burdened by debt. When the payments were paused, nearly 45 million Americans were student loan borrowers, who had a total of $1.6 trillion in student debt. Now, nearly 15 percent of the United States population is preparing to start fe…

After the UI announced it was closing its inpatient eating disorder clinic, it released a statement explaining the closure and what would fill its place. According to the statement, the closure allowed the reallocation of resources to focus on aiding patients with “acute mental health care needs.” According to a statement provided by the UI Hospita…

Workers at the Iowa City Clinton Street Starbucks voted 25-0 in favor of unionizing in May because of issues with management. This was the largest unanimous union vote across Starbucks locations nationally. Employees say it was easy to build consensus because of their shared experiences working chaotic shifts. Starbucks shift supervisor Abi Scheppm…

Athletics are a huge part of campus life and Hawkeye pride at the University of Iowa, but some student athletes have been charged with betting against their own team. An investigation from The Iowa Racing and Gaming Committee flagged over 100 individuals close to UI athletics, including 26 student-athletes across the football, baseball, men’s baske…

The University of Iowa is selling Mayflower Residence Hall after internal reviews revealed that the dorm was the last choice for first year students. For past residence however, Mayflower is a beloved place where they found community and made long lasting relationships. Tori Bauer lived in Mayflower from 2019 to 2021. She said the apartment style l…

Above the Fold is The Daily Iowan's weekly deep-dive podcast into our story of the week. This episode details how professors are responding to AI technology. Russell Chun, associate professor at Hofstra University’s Lawrence Herbert School of Communication in New York, said it is difficult to create one policy to regulate AI for a whole university …

Learning from successful and seasoned Mayors is not only helpful in gaining understanding…it is also a lot of fun! We welcome Caleb Housh, Mayor of Seymour, and Courtney Clark, Mayor of Waukee to The Square where they share about themselves, how they ended up in city government, their accomplishments, and what campaigning is like.…

Milestone birthdays only come around every so often. This year marks the 125th anniversary of the Iowa League of Cities. This is something worth celebrating for any organization, and we will be doing just that this year. We welcome Jess Vogel and Alan Kemp from the League to share their research and insight on the past 125 years and hear about seve…

Each year during the League's Annual Conference & Exhibit we get the honor of inducting someone to the Hall of Fame which recognizes individuals who have provided extraordinary public service to the League and local government. This year was no exception to that rule. This month on The Square, we chatted with our two newest Hall of Fame winners, La…

During this month’s episode, we welcome two very talented (and quite humorous!) city clerks as Trish Gleason with the city of Dubuque and Shelby Hagan with the city of Bondurant join The Square. Gleason and Hagan share how they ended up working as city clerks and the variety their job brings on a daily basis. This episode is full of fun and meaning…

As we all enjoy a nice, warm Iowa summer, The Square sits down with Waterloo Mayor Quentin Hart, whose community will serve as host to the League's 2022 Annual Conference & Exhibit. Mayor Hart and his team are excited to welcome city officials from around the state and show off the impressive work being done in Waterloo, including the redevelopment…

Why does my small city in Iowa need to worry about cyberattacks and cybersecurity? Why would we spend our city funds on something our citizens can’t even enjoy or see the benefits from? How do I know if an email is legit? This month on The Square we invite Cole Two Bears with ThinkGard to tackle these questions and more. We are certain that after h…

This might be called the "Fun Episode" as Parks and Rec Directors Matt Jermier with the City of Waukee and Nick Schenck with the City of Adel stopped by The Square for a great conversation. Both began their careers when the Parks & Recreation departments had just opened in their respective cities and they've been having fun ever since! Hear exactly…

This month we welcome Mayor Matt Walsh from Council Bluffs and Mayor Lorraine Borowski from Decorah. These two strong leaders share advice and wisdom from their combined 57 years of serving in some form of city government. Hear how they measure success, what it means to be “off the clock” as an elected official, and their favorite and least favorit…

This month’s episode features a conversation with the League’s governmental affairs team. Robert Palmer and Daniel Stalder share the importance of the interim months between legislative sessions and the foundation that happens during that time. We also hear an overview of the League’s Legislative Values and they discuss ways cities can become more …

Happy holidays! We're joined this month by Lohrville Mayor, and new League President, Donny Hobbs. Mayor Hobbs shares his perspective on the importance of public services, some of the work the city and local volunteers have done in his community, and what they're hoping to achieve in the near future. He also provides some of the goals he has for hi…

On this months episode we talked to a few of the award winners from our 2021 Annual Conference & Exhibit:Rhonda Wood Smith Award Winner: Holly Berg, Council Member, OttumwaHall of Fame Award Winner: John Lundell, Mayor, CoralvilleHall of Fame Award Winner: Decker Ploehn, City Administrator, BettendorfEach award winner offers great advice to newly e…

The League's Annual Conference & Exhibit is quickly approaching and The Square is joined by Kelly Hayworth, Coralville City Administrator, as he discusses the great events that his community will host in September. Kelly shares some of the benefits of attending the Annual Conference, the fun spots around the Iowa River Landing that attendees can en…

It may be summer but this fall’s regular city elections are right around the corner. This month we brought in Heidi Burhans with the Secretary of State’s Office who is a true expert in all thing’s elections. We discuss what cities need to do to prepare, the nomination process, what is required for someone to be eligible to be a candidate for electi…

What's your favorite place to visit in Iowa? In this month's episode, we chat with Amy Zeigler, the State Tourism Manager at the Iowa Tourism Office, about the many great places around the state to visit this summer. And our hosts, Katie Wheeler and Mickey Shields, also share some of their favorite summer travel spots. Give it a listen and let us k…

Spring is in full bloom and cities across Iowa are gearing up for summer programs and projects. Part of the work includes nuisance abatement, which is usually not a fun part of municipal government but always a necessity. This month's episode of The Square features a lively discussion on city nuisance abatement efforts as we are joined by Clinton's…

A community's road infrastructure is critical to daily life and in this month's episode, we are joined by Travis Goedken, Humboldt City Administrator, who talks about what it's like to manage a city's street system. Travis details the importance of planning and prioritizing needs, the different types of streets that the city maintains, and the proc…